Monthly Archive: November 2010
So Who Am I, Anyway?
One of the concerns expressed in the intense negotiations over our merger (I jest) was whether the addition of we three would tip the balance of this blog too far toward libertarianism. Given that...
American Exceptionalism and anti-historicism on the right
J.L.’s discussion of American exceptionalism last week was really spot-on. Placing American greatness within its proper historical context is necessary both in order to understand what makes America truly great, but also to understand...
Is Obama a Christian?
Relating back to my first post, it depends on what test one uses. Obama calls himself a “Christian.” So for identificatory purposes he is one. But that’s not the only test for “what is...
The virtues of Caligula
The manner in which I depicted Nerva in the latter of the two bizarre pieces of nonsense I have written so far today – not counting e-mails – was inspired by John Gieldud’s performance...
Music Break
I notice it’s okay to take music breaks on this blog. Since I have a degree in music from Berklee College of Music, I will use my authority to subject y’all to my tastes....
Nonsensical assertion of the day
Over at Commentary’s website, some person named J. E. Dyer opens a discussion on the Israeli settlement situation with a passing reference to “the generally left-leaning Economist,” which has endorsed George W. Bush, Margaret...
“The difference between what can be proved and what cannot be proved is what humanity calls ‘art.'”
So claims Jeff MacGregor in a fascinating series of notes on Derek Jeter, baseball, the beautiful, the sublime, and American nostalgia against lies, damned lies and statistics.
A dialog between Tiberius Caesar and Nerva
Nerva: Your manservent awoke me in such a state of distress that I almost suspected to find you dead at the hands of your spirited grandson – or, perhaps he at your hands, which...
Free advertising
I was going to write up a parody ad for whatever it is that Apple is launching tomorrow but then it occurred to me that this is a company that advertised the advent of...
The Four Loko Moral Panic Continues
Jacob Sullum writes: Every alcoholic beverage is “potentially hazardous,” and none will ever be proven “safe,”… But there’s no question that a can of Four Loko, which has less alcohol than a bottle of...
…and I will agree not to send you the remaining 86 pictures of my dog dressed as a bear
Apologies if everyone’s seen it already, but this is perhaps the best response to arbitrary authority that I’ve ever encountered outside of a Marx Brothers film.
“I’d walk a mile over the Williamsburg Bridge for a Camel!”
Joe Camel, Aging Hipster: If R.J. Reynolds’ niche marketing to Williamsburg hipsters succeeds, can we soon expect packs of Kools sporting pictures of Harlem or nostalgic witch burning scenes on Salems?
If You Can’t Win the Argument, Pretend it Doesn’t Exist
Spencer Ackerman on the Obama administration’s legal justification for drone strikes: In March, the State Department’s legal adviser gave a speech asserting that the strikes are legal, not demonstratingwhy they are. The closest that Harold Koh...
Campaign Finance, Ideology, and Doubt
This month’s Cato Unbound is on campaign finance disclosure law. It’s been a fun one to watch as editor, and it certainly runs the gamut of opinion. There’s my colleague John Samples, who worries...
Did the Stimulus Fail?
Despite the $3/4 trillion fiscal stimulus package, the economic recovery is still halting and slow. While most observers seem to treat this as evidence of just how bad the recession really was, I think...
What sort of country do you want to live in?
Perhaps a country where airport security can inflict this upon your children: The reporter, also the father, has a pretty level-headed approach to this whole thing. I imagine I would have been arrested for...
Mayor Bloomberg Rightly Says We’re Part of the Problem
I confess: We are alternate side parkers. To make way for “Mechanical Brooms,” New York City prohibits parking for 1.5 hours on one side of the street on Mondays and Thursdays and the other...
A Poem for Sunday
Ozymandias is one of Shelley’s best known sonnets and was actually written in competition with his friend Horace Smith, who wrote a very good (although inferior) sonnet on the same topic. Ozymandias is another name for Ramses...
The Christian Nation Controversy
As noted in my original post, I’ve researched/blogged extensively on the Christian Nation controversy over the past six years. I’ve made a number of valued connections with various scholars and writers on the matter,...
